Group D Capsule

Group D





Portugese clubs have done well in European club competitions. The national team had a run to the last European Championship final before they came up against Destiny's Darlings. One of the best young Portugese players had a run of amazing form with his club in the second half of the season. The manager has proven World Cup pedigree. The group they were drawn in could hardly be called a tough one. All set for a deep run in the tournament, right? Well, those Portugese clubs never could quite cross that final hurdle, the national team has yet to prove its mettle on neutral ground or away from home, many of the Euro 2004 squad have struggled to find consistency since then, and the manager has been criticized for showing favoritism. If ever a team has shown to be the epitome of an enigma, it is Portugal. On their day, capable of absolute brilliance, and on another day, capable of flaming out. Which one will we see in June?


Manager Ricardo Lavolpe has quietly developed the Mexican national team into one that could spring some surprises this year. If nothing else, based on recent form, the Mexicans should be counted on to play some attractive football, with a flexible and fluid system. Now that the squad and its fanbase appear to have gotten over the exclusion of 1998 hero Cuauhtemoc Blanco, perhaps the time has come for a serial underachiever to excel. While gone are the days when Mexican teams were labelled with the "dirty" tag, the irony is that the looming question now is whether or not this team will be able to handle itself against more physical opposition.


The one thing that can best be said about Angola's chances is that on this stage, no team is ever really there just to make up the numbers. The saddest part of the background for this team is also the most compelling part: Angola is a country that has been torn apart by civil war, and the mere fact of its qualification is already an inspirational tale in and of itself. The squad has been made up of players from families who fled the country to various locations around Europe, and somehow, they were able to cull a qualification run that included eliminating African powerhouse Nigeria. A poor African Nations Cup showing has resulted in a tempering of Angolan hopes for the World Cup, but truth be told, not much was expected of this team to begin with. Conversely, this sheer lack of anything to lose with the guaranteed 270 minutes of play could see the Angolans, behind the forward play of stars Flavio and Akwa (right), spring an upset. After all, the same was once said of teams like Algeria, Morocco, Cameroon, and Senegal.


Given that Group D is not exactly a top-heavy group, with Mexico and Portugal both vulnerable to upset, there is good reason to expect that the Iranians will be able to finish the tournament as the surprise package. A competent defensive line will be counted on to stem the creative flow of their group stage opponents and feed the ball forward to a midfield and attack that (health permitting) will be very familiar with playing on German ground: stars Karimi, Mahdavikia, Zandi, and Hasehmian all currently ply their trade in the Bundesliga, while national icon Ali Daei (left) was the first Iranian to make a splash in Europe. An Asian power, Iran will be looked at to continue the rise begun by South Korea and Japan in 2002, and the blending of the European emphasis on organization and tactical soundness with the Iranian propensity for flair and all-out attack could cause some headaches for their opponents.